Here is my interview with James Johnson about how VT will be affected by Marshall Wood’s injury. If you want to read about Sunday’s women’s basketball game, please see the previous post.

Tech coach James Johnson is worried.

The depth-shy Virginia Tech men’s basketball team has suffered its first injury of the season.

Tech announced Sunday that freshman reserve power forward Marshall Wood broke his left foot in Saturday’s loss to Georgia Southern. He is out indefinitely, although Johnson said he does not think Wood will need surgery.

With Wood sidelined, Tech (8-2) is down to seven scholarship players.

“This is something we knew coming in [to the season], that we couldn’t afford foul trouble or injuries,” Johnson said Sunday in a phone interview. “I’m a little concerned. You take one guy out, and now if you start getting guys in foul trouble or guys get the flu, I’m a little worried.

“We’ve got to go to the drawing board. There are not a lot of options on the roster.”

Johnson said Wood will miss the team’s two games in Las Vegas next weekend and likely the Dec. 29 game against Brigham Young in Salt Lake City as well. He could also miss ACC games; Johnson has no idea when he will return.

Wood is averaging 5.8 points, 4.5 rebounds and 18.3 minutes. The Rustburg graduate has not been shooting well, but Johnson has been pleased with his defense and rebounding.

“This is tough for the group. This is tough for the young man,” Johnson said. “He was just coming into his own. He helps us in a lot of different ways.

“Now we’re down a post guy, a rebounder. We’ve got to try to regroup.”

Tech still has starting power forward C.J. Barksdale, but what happens when he needs a rest or if he gets in foul trouble?

Johnson said one option would be to go to a big lineup and play centers Cadarian Raines and Joey van Zegeren together.

Another option would be to put walk-on forward Christian Beyer in the game.

A third option when Barksdale is on the bench would be to slide starting small forward Jarell Eddie over to power forward and go with a three-guard lineup. Johnson will consider that, but he is worried that Eddie could get in foul trouble playing power forward. He also wonders if that would be a good option against big teams.